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Hamilton claims Canada GP win

LEWIS Hamilton has cut Sebastian Vettel’s world championship lead to 12 points with a dominant victory in the Canadian GP.

Hamilton led from start to finish, delivering a masterclass of frontrunning to secure his sixth victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and finish almost 20 seconds clear of teammate Valtteri Bottas, while Daniel Ricciardo was third, picking up his third podium finish in a row. It’s the first time in Hamilton’s career he has won the same race six times.

But the Brit’s serenity was in sharp contrast to the drama which unfolded behind his Mercedes as Vettel finished fourth after bravely gaining three positions in the final five laps, capitalising on ugly in-fighting at Force India and a brake failure for Kimi Raikkonen.

Lance Stroll scored his first points in F1 as the Canadian youngster claimed ninth for Williams at his home race while, once again, Fernando Alonso was let down by his Honda engine before making new friends by jumping into the Montreal crowd. The Spaniard’s retirement means McLaren remains without a single point this term.

UGLY CIVIL WAR ERUPTS

All eyes were on the pole-sitting Hamilton and Vettel, starting alongside the Mercedes on the front row, at the start. But it was Max Verstappen who then stole the limelight as the Red Bull youngster dived up the inside of the Ferrari to leap from fifth to second. The two cars made contact as the Red Bull snuck ahead, Verstappen clipping the front-wing of Vettel’s Ferrari and instantly destabilising the SF70-H.

The damage forced Vettel into an early stop and a two-stop strategy while Verstappen’s surge would be cruelly curtailed by a battery failure that left the teenager banging his steering wheel in frustration.